'A lot of things I’m proud of'

Wednesday

May 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 28, 2008 at 4:40 AM

During the past seven years, Utica police Chief C. Allen Pylman has been credited with gaining accreditation for the city police department, implementing the use of Tasers and improving the campus around the police station.

RENEE GAMELA

During the past seven years, Utica police Chief C. Allen Pylman has been credited with gaining accreditation for the city police department, implementing the use of Tasers and improving the campus around the police station.

But as he prepares to retire Friday, the main thing he’ll remember is his police staff.

“There are a lot of things I’m proud of,” Pylman, 59, said Tuesday afternoon in his office. “I’m proudest of the personnel. In the past almost seven years, we’ve brought on some very fine officers, men and women. They don’t get the credit they deserve.”

Pylman in August 2001 was named police chief by then-Mayor Tim Julian. Pylman previously was a state police major.

Key moments

Last year, Pylman guided the department through a tragic loss when Officer Thomas Lindsey was shot and killed April 12, 2007, on Neilson Street.

In the days following Lindsey’s death, Pylman spoke at a news conference about a recent conversation he had with Lindsey while passing in a hallway.

“I said ‘Hey, Tommy, how's this gig working for you?” Pylman said. “And he just said, ‘I love this job.’”

Pylman paused, then shook his head with a smile: “There's not a lot more you can say.”

On Thursday, Wesley Molina-Cirino, the man convicted of Lindsey’s death, will be sentenced in Oneida County Court. When Molina-Cirino was convicted, Pylman said the person responsible for Lindsey’s “assassination” has been brought to justice.

Pylman also was chief in July 2005 when a Utica police officer shot local resident Walter Washington, an incident that strained relations between law enforcement and the community.

Following that incident, Pylman and other law enforcement officials in the county began regularly meeting with members of the Oneida County branch of the NAACP.

Accomplishments

When Pylman became Utica’s police chief, he immediately set the goal of earning accreditation for the department, which was achieved two years later. Since then, officer safety issues have been addressed, police buildings have been upgraded and the police campus improved.

Council member Patrick J. Donovan, R-at-large, was council president during most of Pylman’s tenure. The chief’s focus on officer safety by helping implement the use of Tasers and cameras in the cars is commendable, he said.

“He brought a new level of professionalism to the department,” Donovan said. “I thank him for his service to the city and wish him the best of luck.”

Pylman said he’ll leave the department with many fond memories.

“I’m just as proud of being a Utica police officer as I was a New York state trooper,” Pylman said. “We’ve been able to accomplish a lot here in seven years, in every aspect of the job.”

Pylman said his retirement wasn’t predicated by plans to take a job elsewhere.

“I never considered the city of Schenectady, which was the leading rumor,” Pylman said. “When one door closes, another door opens so maybe I’ll consider other offers if I get them.”

In the meantime, Pylman said he is proud of everything the department attained during his tenure.

“We’ve really raised the bar,” Pylman said. “And, I say ‘we,’ myself and the staff that I got to work with. Again, it’s the staff that I’m probably going to miss the most.”